


Discordance

by Archaema



Series: Pharmercy Drabbles [8]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Good End, Past Moira/Angela, Pharmercy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 05:39:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14970245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Archaema/pseuds/Archaema
Summary: There are always consequences, and often none of them are deserved.





	Discordance

**Author's Note:**

> A short pick-me-up for a friend, in the same vein as the last work but a bit more detailed and in-depth. 
> 
> These are complex and great characters, so I like to make sure they all get their due.
> 
> That said, this did not get an editing pass due to being quite busy, so if you see anything out of place, let us know and we'll fix it.

“Our guardian angel.”

The phrase set Angela’s skin crawling. It brought a quick turn from Fareeha, a scrape of metal as the Raptora’s boots scuffed the corrugated metal of the catwalk they were crossing. It had been heard easily over the sounds of machinery and electronics humming and shuddering in high gear.

“Ten years, and you look exactly the same.” Moira O’Deorain stepped around the large storage canister the catwalk was passing, the Irish geneticist’s mismatched eyes locking on the woman. “Still the same, idealistic getup? I’d be lying to say it didn’t suit you.”

“Moira.” Angela could barely hiss out the name, her chest tightening.

There was a history there.

There had been trust.

Once.

“Ah, the last time we were face to face, you sounded so much more pleased,” Moira said, a sly grin curling her lips upward. “Don’t tell me you don’t miss our time together.”

Fareeha leveled her rocket launcher on the geneticist, face obscured by the cover of her gold-tinted visor.

“I’ve got you, Ange,” Fareeha said quietly, barely even registering on their shared communication channel. Angela heard it, nonetheless, but she gave no outward sign.

“Nostalgia can be very strong,” Angela said quietly, her blue eyes locked on Moira. The tension seemed to ease slightly from her face, and she let her shoulders loosen slightly.

“Are you sure it’s nostalgia? I could easily spend time getting lost in those blue eyes again.” Moira’s smirk faded slightly, to a simple smile. “Don’t you miss nights studying? Hot coffee and science?” She took a slow step forward, bringing her dangerously close to the medic.

“I loved my research deeply,” Angela said softly. “It was meant to help everyone.”

“My work will help. You can change the world for the better.” Moira tentatively lifted her left hand upward, emitter’s glow ceasing as she placed her fingertips to Angela’s jaw in a gentle touch. “We could be a team again.”

“Describing your work as unethical would be a kindness,” Angela replied, venom bubbling up in her tone.

“But the true question is whether or not you can deny my discoveries.” Moira lifted her chin, looking down her nose toward Angela.

It was silent for a moment, and Angela let out a slow sigh, averting her gaze.

“No. I didn’t think so.” Moira grasped her chin and forced Angela’s eyes to her again.

“Angela…” Fareeha’s voice was plaintive, and Angela could hear her sucking in the breath on the channel. She thought she could hear her heart beating on top of it, as well. Her knuckles had to be drained of blood under the reticulated gauntlets over her hands.

“It’s true, you get results. Solid results.” Angela bit at her bottom lip briefly, her hands tightening around the long shaft of her Caduceus staff. “Your papers have insights that are brilliant.”

“Don’t you miss the thrill of discovery?” Moira was almost against her, so very tall and imposing before her as she looked down at the Swiss medic.

“Of course I do,” Angela replied.

“You can have that again.”

“I could.” The staff lowered at her side, hanging parallel to the ground.

Fareeha uneasily shifted; she could not fire, but the moment was horrifying in too many ways for her to take a step forward and try and break them apart. Moira deserved her fist, if nothing else. She knew the woman’s past. What she had done was the fuel of nightmares.

“Leave this behind. Leave these fools to scamper in the mud.” Moira leaned closer, voice quiet. “We can be as gods.”

“You make it sound so romantic.” Angela let out a little laugh.

“It can be,” Moira said. “Let’s seal the deal.” She drew in, lips seemingly inevitable in their course toward Angela’s.

There was a sharp grunt of pain that punctuated a dull thump.

Moira’s eyes went wide and she let out a hacking gasp, falling quickly to her knee as Angela stepped back quickly, pulling her staff from where she had slammed it into the geneticist’s stomach.

“Fareeha, quick! The skylights!” Angela looked up briefly, a soft glow from her halo’s display illuminating her face for a moment. “You said you didn’t take pleasure in betraying me, Moira. Well, I am enjoying this, I think!”

“Right.” Fareeha needed no encouragement, the entire catwalk shuddering and creaking ominously as her boosters roared to life, pushing her upward. She brought her rocket launcher in line with one of the cracked but intact windows set in the slanted metal ceiling of the chemical plant. There was a hiss of igniting exhaust as a rocket leapt forth and a split-second later led to an echoing explosion that cleared the way.

“Go, I’m right beside you,” Angela said quickly, and Fareeha did not dare turn back to confirm it. She trusted Angela’s words and used her thrusters to guide her Raptora armor to the new opening. Almost immediately, her faith was rewarded, the hissing of the Valkyrie Rapid Response Suit’s wings matching to her and pulling them together.

The night sky opened up suddenly into a thousand glittering stars, with only a few puffy clouds lazily drifting between them and the earth. Fareeha found herself hitting her thrusters again for good measure, increasing the distance between the pair and the earth below, and the plant. Onward, to the rendezvous.

* * * * *

Fareeha leaned her head back and let out a frustrated groan. A white towel was still draped around naked shoulders as she rested with her back against the metal wall of her quarters in the watchpoint. They were quarters that she and Angela had shared since they had experienced the sudden revelation of their attraction and relationship several months ago, thanks to a meddlesome Lena Oxton.

Angela had been in debriefing for two and a half hours.

A trained soldier, she knew that was the least of things Angela was going to have to deal with after an encounter with Moira O’Deorain. The Oasis Minister was one with a sordid and twisted history that seemed to escape some in the world, but did not fool her nor many of those who had warned her to avoid the woman. She had heard several times about the pained history she shared with Angela.

That debriefing was going to be hours of remembering and analyzing Angela’s experiences with Moira, and it made Fareeha’s skin crawl. She let out a slow sigh, trying to quell the uneasiness in her chest.

Fareeha let her head hang forward, as it had been most of those two hours, her raven black hair splaying out around her face. The memory of seeing Moira so close to Angela and the tenderness on display in her words hurt more than she had expected.

“Fareeha.” The sound of her name made her suck in a breath quickly. She had not even heard the door.

“Fareeha, please, look at me, yes?” Angela’s hands came into view even in the dim light that barely illuminated the room, so close to Fareeha before they brushed along her jaw. Her thumbs slid up and brushed away errant strands of hair away.

Angela closed her eyes for a split second, pushing aside the pangs of guilt she felt at seeing her partner weathering the storm of emotions brought on by the close encounter with Moira. When she reopened her eyes, she gave a soft smile, catching a stray tear Fareeha had not noticed and pushing it away with her thumb.

“Are you all right?” It was a simple question, but the way Angela spoke the words seemed to carry a sense of assurance and concern.

“It was-“ Fareeha cracked a sad grin, and shrugged. “I wasn’t expecting any of that.”

“I wasn’t either.” Angela gave a rueful smile. “Thank you for not blowing us both up.”

“Did you really take her seriously?” It was the heart of the pain, the core of the whole exchange and how profoundly it had hurt Fareeha, despite her strength.

“No,” Angela replied after a moment. “Fareeha, the woman calls human beings guinea pigs. We have arguments about the morality of performing guard duty.” She shook her head. “That woman was manipulative and self-driven. She may say she wants knowledge and science to rise, but she wants all society to thank her for it and recognize her, too. And she doesn’t care what ‘ethics’, well, lack of them, it takes to get there.”

“I’m sorry, I know it was silly of me to doubt you.” Fareeha gave her best effort at a smile, trying to push the rest of her discomfort at the memory away.

“As I said, manipulative,” Angela said, brushing her fingers through Fareeha’s hair and forcing their eye contact. “It is how she sees the world. It is not a world for me.”

“Yeah, she certainly seems to have issues with that sharing concept,” Fareeha said, grin breaking through a touch.

“To put it mildly. But Fareeha, please.” Angela steeled herself and set her jaw. It was solely so she would not let any tears escape beyond the couple already threatening to escape her eyes. “The past I had was not love. It is hard to explain, but it was not like what we have. You make me feel like a whole, complete. What I mean is, well, it’s simple, it’s that-“

Fareeha put a finger against Angela’s lip and shook her head.

“Don’t say it if you don’t mean it, Angela.” There was a hint of warning in Fareeha’s ochre eyes.

“I promise you I would not if it were not true.” Angela took one more second to compose herself, then nodded. “I love you, Fareeha Amari. It’s not just dating, or a fling, or a few nights of fun. I love you.” She could not help but smile as she repeated the words, even amidst the lingering turbulence from earlier.

“You really, you would-“ Fareeha let out a quick, soft laugh. “Now, of all times? Yeah, fine. I admit it.” She lifted her hands finally to slide them along Angela’s hips. “I love you, Angela.”

Angela laughed in response and shook her head. Her attempt to rein in her tears had been futile, and instead she was forced to use a finger to try and wipe them away. She kept her eyes on Fareeha, who mirrored her with tears in her eyes and a light laugh.

They both leaned in, their foreheads pressing together. Gold and black hair mixed and matted, but they simply laughed, reveling in being finally able to say their true feelings aloud. Soon, they were wiping away each other’s tears instead of their own.

And after that, they ignored those, and let their lips meet in a long, lingering kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let us know if you liked our writing, and feel free to leave any constructive criticism in comments here or in asks at our Tumblrs, including if you spy a missing tag:  
> http://archaema.tumblr.com/ or http://offkeelworld.tumbr.com/


End file.
